Travel Guidance

Just made a new friend, who is also a travel guide for Costa Rican adventures. He says that while in CR, these are must-do adventures. A bus schedule is HERE and a glorious route planner is HERE:

ARENAL
Arenal, about 3 hours drive from San Jose, can be found at their Official Website. Hot Springs and Active Volcano.


MONTEVERDE
Nearby Arenal, this cloud forest reserve has ziplines, horsebackriding, suspended bridges and MORE. About 5 hours from San Jose.


MAL PAIS, SANTA TERESITA, and PLAYA SAMARA
Home to some of the best surfing in the world, these towns are located on the Nicoya Peninsula. Gorgeous beaches and burner community. Playa Samara has a mellow break. 5 hours from San Jose.


MANUEL ANTONIO
Beach and national park - a little touristy, but go off season. 82 miles from San Jose.


DOMINICAL, DRAKES BAY and OSA PENINSULA
Surf town and beautiful beaches about 5 hours from San Jose. Visit Corcovado National Park. Lush primary rainforests south of Domincal on Pacific Coast. Map. 6 hour drive from San Jose.


BUENAVENTURA
Eco-adventure lodge and rainforest wellness retreat center near San Isidro...HERE.) Yoga retreats and other types of retreats/groups, as well as an annual New Year's Eve/Winter Solstice jungle party called ZenZu on land at Buenaventura ... like a mini Burning Man/LIB, with music, art, eco-activities, etc.


PUERTO VIEJO and PUNTA MONA
On Caribbean side. Punta Mona is an 85-acre organic farm, located on Southern Caribbean Coast about 4 miles south of the town of Manzanillo. Bus is about 4 1/2 hours from San Jose to Puerto Viejo. $40 a night to stay at Punta Mona.


CLIMB CERRO CHIRRIPO
2 day trek to the highest mountain peak in Central America, almost 11k feet elevation.


OROSI VALLEY
Coffee valley near San Jose, good for a day trip.


TOWN of PARAISO
Paraiso is a small city. It is a tourist attraction due to its exceptionally beautiful surrounding locales.


MANIFESTO
Full Moon Party Jan. 8th-12th, 2010. Manifesto is hosted in MalPais, on the southern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica. You can fly from San Jose/Liberia to Tambor. It's just a 30-min flight on Nature Air (www.natureair.com) ($65-$75) or Sansa (www.flysansa.com) ($65). Driving San Jose to MalPais takes about 4-5 hours... this includes a beautiful ferry crossing on the Gulf of Nicoya.


Great week trips:

1. DOWN THE PACIFIC COAST: San Jose >> Nicoya Peninsula incl. Playa Samara >> Manuel Antonio >> Dominical >> Drake Bay.
2. CARIBBEAN: Down to Manzanillo Beach, staying at PuntaMona.